Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Heart of the Cards
by EmperorDraco7
Summary: When Yugi and his friends are invited to Pegasus' competition on Duelist Kingdom, several more destinies will meet theirs, and take the events in a whole different direction. What adventures and mysteries await Yugi and his friends this time around? Yugi/Tea, Joey/Mai, Seto/Kisara.


Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of and Tokyo TV.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Heart of the Cards

By EmperorDraco7 and co-written by Lily Nadesico

Yugi Moto was in deep thought as he stood on the rooftop of the school that he and his friends go to everyday. He couldn't believe how much so many things have happened since he completed the Millennium Puzzle and now he had recently learned that his Puzzle isn't the only one not to mention that his grandfather Solomon Moto's soul had been taken by the creator of Duel Monsters… Maximillian Pegasus who had the Millennium Eye and wanted to duel against Yugi again but for much higher stakes than their previous duel before.

"Pegasus…" he said quietly to himself. "Why did you steal Grandpa's soul away? What do you really want with me? Is this about my Millennium Puzzle? Whatever it is, I won't give up… I and the Pharaoh will save Grandpa and defeat you, you can be sure of this!"

"_Your determination is admirable, my friend._" The spirit of the Pharaoh that _inhabited_ the Millennium Puzzle said telepathically to the young boy. "_But do not confuse recklessness for courage. Pegasus is trying to draw us into a trap… I have no idea what he is up to, but know that he will stop at nothing to achieve it._"

"I know, Pharaoh…" Yugi said solemnly. "But I still must face him if I want to save Grandpa. I'm afraid, I know that… but I cannot hold back. I have to find a way to meet Pegasus and beat him at his own game."

He could feel the Pharaoh nodding and smiling in approval. "_Very well, my friend. And I will stand by your side through everything that might happen. Together, we will be able to defeat Pegasus and save your grandfather._"

"Thanks, Pharaoah." Yugi said, smiling a little. "I will not let you down."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the rather shoddy apartment Joey Wheeler lived in, the blond was busy looking at a videotape he had found with that day's mail. It was a very significant moment for him… as that videotape came from his younger sister Serenity, whom he hadn't seen for six years, ever since their parents became separated because of his father's drinking habits. Joey could remember that day like it was yesterday, the way he was running after the car on which Serenity was, while she was looking at him from the window, in tears… and then, as the car sped away, his father apathetically walking away, not doing anything to repair the situation.

True, only being able to see her on a recorded tape was sad… but still better than nothing, Joey reflected as he inserted the videotape and switched the TV on. The old replaying machine seemed to falter for a moment… but luckily, it managed to activate, and Serenity's face, a sad smile playing upon it, appeared on the screen.

"_Hello, big brother! It's always good to see you…_" Serenity began. Joey could see that she was wearing pink pajamas, and quickly deduced that she had recorded that from the hospital. Serenity was always a sickly girl, and it only seemed to have gotten worse recently…

Joey smiled to himself. "Good to see ya too, sis!" he said gently.

"_It's been a long time since I've seen you and I'll never forget the day mom took me to live with her…."_ She said sadly, her smile soon faded as there was something important she needed to tell her older brother. _"I'm sending you this message just so you won't forget my face…. It seems that I'm running out of time and it is only a matter time before… well, you understand… goodbye brother, and take care…"_

"Run out of time…." Joey slowly realized what she meant when she said that and was becoming worried about her current condition as the video ended, he punched the floor as tears formed in his eyes. "Dammit… Serenity… There has to be something I can do…"

* * *

It was late at night and Yugi was returning to his Grandfather's Game Shop when he noticed an envelope addressed to him. With a sense of curiousity, he took it and looked inside and was shocked to see that there were cards but they weren't Duel Monsters Cards at all. "It's from Pegasus…." He said to himself, realizing who had sent him this mysterious envelope and discovering that it was an invitation to participate in a tournament hosted at an island called the Duelist Kingdom.

"Yugi!" came a female voice from inside before the door opened to reveal that it was his mother Ashita Moto and she was relieved that her son was alright. "There you are, I was worried about you…"

"Sorry mom…." He apologized to the red-haired woman, entering the Game Shop while holding onto the envelope in his right hand. "I had a lot of things on my mind lately and I'm worried Grandpa ever since he was taken to the hospital…"

"I see, I'm worried about him too…. By the way Yugi..." began Ashita in a soft voice, remembering something important as she saw her son making his way towards the bedroom. "I just recieved a call from your father, he wanted to know about the current status of Solomon's condition and he wanted to know how we're doing... he wants to speak with you.

"Oh?" asked Yugi in surprise by what he heard before making his way to his mother who then gives him the phone... It had been a long time since he or Ashita have ever heard from Shugiro Moto due to the older male having important business. "Hello dad?"

"Yugi is that you?" came the voice from the other end of the line. "It is isn't it? How are you doing right now?"

"I'm alright and so is mom..." answered Yugi with a simple nod. "I guess you heard about Grandpa's condition..." He didn't hear a reply, knowing that it was bothering his father since Solomon is from Shugiro's side of the Moto family. "It is good to hear from you again never the less and if possible, I will find a way to help Grandpa..."

"That's good; unfortunately I won't be able to come home…. Too much important business to take care of…"

Yugi frowned at this and said. "I understand; you don't have to explain yourself…. Still it is good to hear from you again, I missed you a lot."

"I know and I miss seeing you as well, please take care of your mother for me…."

"I will dad…" replied the younger Moto. "Take care of yourself too and if anything changes in Grandpa's condition, we'll let you know…"

"Thank you, Yugi… we hope everything goes well…" Mr. Moto answered before hanging up. Yugi sighed as he placed the phone back into place, then he walked to the nearest couch and flopped down upon it, trying to think it over. The situation was quite dire, and he knew that he would get only one chance to save his grandfather, and he was going to face a lot of challengers, not to mention Pegasus himself. He needed to make sure his deck was top-notch, and to go through all the strategies he and his Yami had prepared… and even then, he knew he could not be prepared for everything.

"Grandfather…" Yugi said to himself. "Just wait for us… Yami and I will save you, that's a promise!"

"_Do not worry, Yugi. Have faith in me, and in yourself, and we will find a way to overcome Pegasus._" His alternate personality said telepathically, trying to give confidence to the young man…

* * *

In another place, in Pegasus' luxurious estate, the white-haired tycoon was enjoying himself, on the other hand. As he ate his dinner, sitting at a long and richly decorated table, an issue of his favorite comic book opens in front of him, Pegasus was anticipating the start of Duelist Kingdom, and the moment where he could defeat Yugi and get his hands on the Millenium Puzzle. He was almost finished when one of his butlers came and cleared his voice, asking for permission to relay some important news.

"Excuse me, Mr. Pegasus…" the butler politely began, knowing that his master did not like his meals to be interrupted, however this was important news. The white-haired young man put his fork down and turned slightly to him, still wearing his cheerful expression.

"I thought I had been clear on the matter." Pegasus said, gently but firmly. "I do not appreciate to have my dinner interrupted, unless it is a matter of the utmost importance. What is it, then?"

"I… apologize, sir…" the butler said with a bow. "But the fact is, I have come with important news indeed. We have received confirmation that Yugi Moto will take part in Duelist Kingdom. That's the duelist you were interested in, am I correct?"

Pegasus smiled happily. Then, his plan was really going along smoothly… "Well, then this is great news! I take back what I said; this is just what I needed to make my night!"

"I… am pleased to know that, sir…" the butler said with a brief sigh of relief, as Pegasus closed his eyes, and his expression grew bittersweet.

"_It's just a matter of time, Cynthia, my love… soon, we'll be together again!_" he thought to himself, opening his eyes and looking at a large picture on the opposite wall, which depicted a younger Pegasus together with a beautiful, gentle-looking young woman…

* * *

The next day, Yugi and his friends are in class currently talking about the situation involving Yugi having been invited to participate in Pegasus' tournament in the Duelist Kingdom while wondering if it is a trap though they also heard that there was going to be a new student to their school too. "A new student Melody?" wondered Tea Gardner in surprise as their classmate Melody Nosaka had something important to tell them.

"It's true Tea…" answered Melody with a confused expression on her face though they couldn't blame her for being confused. "I wonder who the new person will be…" she then decided to change the subject on the matter. "What are you guys talking about right now?"

"Well…" Tristan Taylor never got to finish what he was going to say as the teacher entered the room. "We'll tell you later…" he said to which Melody nodded and returned to her desk as the teacher wanted the class's attention as he had an announcement to make to them.

"May I have your attention please?" he asked, waiting for the class to remain silent before he cleared his throat and continued. "We have a new student joining us, she recently moved to Domino… " Soon a young female with ice blue eyes and long flowing light blue hair entered the classroom, donning the female school uniform and looking slightly nervous about being around new people.

"Hi there… My name's Kisara…" began the girl, speaking up so that the whole class could hear her introduction though Yugi and his friends were quite surprised when they first see her entrance. "It is an honor to be here." Her glance soon turned to Yugi's group with curiosity getting the better of her as she did so.

Without another thought, she then walked to Yugi and noticed his and Joey's respective decks "Oh that's Duel Monsters isn't it?!" stated Kisara, somewhat surprised by the fact that they were into the Trading Card Game

"Yeah it is " Yugi blushed a bit, though he never would have thought that this new girl would be familiar with the game herself ."My name is Yugi Moto and there are my friends, here is Tea Gardner, Melody Nosaka, Joey wheeler and Tristan Taylor " .

The others smiled at Kisara, glad to have her at their school then Joey placed a hand on Yugi's left shoulder. "Why not tell her that you beat Kaiba with Exodia" he asked the shorter boy, Kisara had a shocked look on her face upon hearing that Yugi was able to defeat Seto Kaiba, the undefeated duelist in Japan and even more so with the fact that this young man did so by the effects of the Legendary Exodia the Forbidden One as nobody was ever able to draw all five cards needed to summon it in any duel.

Kisara smiled brightly at this sudden revelation and said " I have to go see you guys after school " she then left and took her seat some were in the class room, while Yugi and the others decided to go back to their current subject at hand.

"So you were saying that you were invited to participate in a tournament at the Duelist Kingdom?" asked Tea, still in a bit of disbelief by the fact that Pegasus wishes for Yugi of all people take part in it, knowing that there has to be a main reason that the creator of the Duel Monsters trading card game did so. "Isn't the Duelist Kingdom an Island?"

"So that's where Pegasus is keeping your grandpa?" added Joey as this whole thing just doesn't make any sense from what Yugi had told them not too long back ever since they got that video from Pegasus himself the night before.

"Maybe but the only way to make sure is the become a contestant" answered Yugi, going back to examining the cards that he had found from within the envelope, holding one of the cards in his hand, one that had the image of a sailboat at the sea and at the same time, reflecting on his brief Shadow Duel against Pegasus himself. "The boat's going to be leaving in two days."

"But you can't go, it could be dangerous" Tea tried to warn him, she had known Yugi longer than Tristan, Joey and Melody have as she was his first friend since they were younger.

"I have to go…" Yugi told her, understanding the risks and having no choice but to take them if he was to beat Pegasus at his own game. "It's the only clue I have in rescuing Grandpa."

"I still can't believe it, Pegasus used some kind of weird spell to grab your grandpa's soul and now he's toying with you, forcing you to compete in the tournament" began Tristan, still unsure of what to make of all this himself while Melody nodded her head in agreement as it didn't make any sense at all.

"That's right and without invitations, we can't even go there with you" said Joey, a bit disappointed that they won't be able to go with him on his mission. "I wish we could help you pal."

Tea didn't know what else to say. "This is bad…" she spoke, it wasn't until now that Tristan managed to take notice towards a card with the picture a treasure of gold and jewelry on it.

"Hey, check this out Yugi!" he said, getting the attention of the others as he found that there was something more about the card he was taking a look at. "According to this card… the tournament winner takes the grand prize of three million dollars."

"Three mil?" Joey can't believe what he was hearing, this would be more than enough to pay for the operation his baby sister needs to save her eyes the only problem was he couldn't take part in the tournament.

"So what Tristan? Who cares about money at a time like this?" asked Yugi, though Joey decided to take a closer look at the card in question himself much to the surprise of the others. "Guess Joey does…"

"Three million, in cold cash."

* * *

After school, Yugi and all his friends were gathered outside and Kisara walked up to them and she showed them her deck since they were alone, yet one of the cards in it was what got their attention "Wow, you have a Red -Eyes Black Dragon!" Yugi said, having heard about that card as while it wasn't as strong as the Blue Eyes White Dragon, it is still quite a rare card in its own right.

"Yes I got it in a booster pack one day, I was just as surprised as you are when I first saw it among the cards that were in it" said Kisara, smiling brightly as she remembered the day she first got her card pack and how the Red-Eyes Black Dragon was the first rare card. "Do you guys want to get some burgers and fries?" she asked, only for Tea to shake her head in sadness as there was something more important that they needed to take care of.

"Sorry we can't we're leaving for the Duelist Kingdom tournament in two days" she told the blue-haired young woman, causing her to cock her head with a confused look on her face. "It's a long story, we'll explain later okay?"

"Maybe you should explain now, if you don't mind…" Kisara figured they had time since the day to leave for the Duelist Kingdom won't be for a while and there was plenty of time to find out what was going on as well as what reason they have for even going there in the first place.

"Well it's actually like this…" began Melody, explaining how Yugi, Tea, Joey and Tristan told her about Pegasus having some kind of Millennium Item almost like Yugi's Millennium Puzzle only, only the Duel Monsters card game creator used his item to take the soul of Yugi's grandfather and forced Yugi himself to compete in the tournament in order to rescue his grandfather's soul while they wished they could help their friend out... even Melody wanted to contribute somehow.

Kisara was completely shocked to hear all that, nearly dropping her entire deck in the process. "I don't believe it…" she said to herself, trying to keep from passing out from the shock as if this day couldn't get any stranger, thinking it might be some kind of trick that the group was playing at her especially as there's no such thing as magic. "Still, how do you guys expect to go with Yugi without an invitation?"

"Don't worry, we've actually had something in mind for that…" explained Joey, they all actually had a plan to be able to get on the ship together and he thought it was a crazy one, then again it might be crazy enough to work.

"Is that so, I'd like to hear about this plan of yours…" Kisara had a smirk on her face, wanting to know what this so-called plan is and if it will actually work, perhaps she could help out in some way or another.

* * *

Two days have passed and now the time to head for the infamous Duelist Kingdom has finally come. "Attention all Duelists, welcome to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions!" came the voice of a security officer, a well-toned man standing on the deck of the ship making his announcement to all the duelists that were invited to take part in the upcoming tournament. "You received with your invitation the Star Chips that will grant you entry into the contest, you are all elite, invited by us after close observation of your past Duel Monsters contest. You each have a fair and equal chance to win; it all comes down to how well you've chosen your cards and how well you play. Now then duelists; cross the ocean and enter the Duelist Kingdom!"

As soon as the announcement was finished, every duelist within the area began to board the ship, showing their two star chips to the guard nearby. Just before he left his house at the Kame Game Shop, Yugi got to his room and saw a note on the table and read the note which says; Dear Yugi, I have a gift for you to help you in the tournament at the Duelist Kingdom; your mother Ashita

Yugi opened the box he shocked that it was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card which at first thought he was just seeing things as he recalled that only four of these cards have ever been made and a memory of Seto Kaiba having ripped the 4th Blue-Eyes White Dragon card in half right in front of not only his friends but also in front of his grandfather as well flashed before his eyes "Hey you, get out of here! Only official contestants are allowed onboard!" snapping back into reality, Yugi then heard a noise near the boat and saw that Joey trying to enter only for the guards to catch him in the act.

"How do you know that I'm not official?" Yugi would witness the guards preparing to drag the taller blonde-haired male out of the area and they looked rather angry by what he tried to do.

"That's because the official duelists aren't trying to sneak onboard through the lower hatches!"

"Joey, what the?" Yugi made his way towards the guards and acted like he wanted to know what was going on with them while Kisara, donning a light pink long-sleeved shirt and pair of blue jeans, was hoping that the others would use this to their advantage as she watched what was going on.

"Stop struggling, we're gonna have to throw you out!" snapped one of the guards while trying to keep a grip on Joey though he wasn't making it easy for them to do so.

"No way, I came here to duel and I'm gonna duel!" protested Joey, keeping up with the act since this is the only way for all of them to get onboard the ship and was glad for the good luck as Yugi has just joined the fray.

"Leave him alone!" he said, wanting the guards to let go of Joey which made his best friend rather relieved t o see the young duelist at a time like this. "Joey, what are you doing here?"

"Hey Yugi, did you really think I'd let you do this on your own?" asked Joey, smiling rather sheepishly at this situation right now though it will be worth it. "Come on, help me out."

Yugi nodded, then turned his attention towards the guards and said. "He's with me, you gotta let him on."

"Only duelists with a star chip can get on, there are no exceptions!" explained one of the guards, wanting to remind Yugi and Joey about the rules involving the Duelist Kingdom tournament and those being given the chance to participate.

"But Joey has a star chip, didn't he tell you?" he asked, catching the two guards and Joey off-guard almost instantly, only for Yugi to place one of his two star chips into his friend's hand then raised the card showing the picture of the dueling gauntlet and the five star chips around it. "According to this card, a star chip's proof that one's a duelist."

"That may be so, but all participates are given two star chips, you'll be at a disadvantage…" reminded the guard, wondering if Yugi knows what kind of risk he is putting himself into by giving Joey one of the two star chips that he has with him.

"Maybe… but I'd rather take that risk than go without my friend when we get to the Duelist Kingdom, I need him."

"What do we do?" asked one of the guards, both of them were completely confused by what to do and they decided to call Pegasus himself about how to handle this while Kisara smiled that the plan that Yugi and the others had was working.

"Mr. Pegasus, we've got a problem sir…" began the other.

While that was happening Tea and Tristan snuck onboard with Melody, the latter was wearing a white dress with a nice, colorful miniskirt and shoes, a cute hairpin completed her look while Tea was wearing a yellow shirt, which flows like a skirt at her thighs, with a pink waistcoat over it, and a blue-mini-skirt with a pair of brown knee-high boots completing the outfit as soon as the guards were distracted, eventually Joey was finally allowed onboard, next in line was Kisara she showed her two star chips and entered the boat. Once all of the participating duelists have gathered together on the vessel, the ship began its long journey towards the Duelist Kingdom and it didn't take long for Kisara to find both Yugi and Joey talking among themselves. "I'm glad they let you onboard Joey" the smaller boy said to the taller one.

"Only because you sacrificed one of your star chips" replied Joey, still rather surprised that idea actually worked out and he was involved in the plan. "But if any of the other players find out we only have on star chip each, they could really try to take advantage of us."

"Then be quiet about it" suggested Yugi, almost not noticing that Kisara managed to join up with the two with a bit of relief on her face. "Huh? Kisara, how did you manage to get on?"

"Guess I should have mentioned it then, I was actually invited to take part in the tournament myself" explained the blue-haired girl, which in a way surprised the two boys as they would have thought that she would be with Tea, Melody and Tristan sneaking onboard when the guards weren't expecting it. "Oh well, at least we all managed to get on without too much of a hassle."

"Well, well what do we have here?" another female voice caught their attention and they turned to see a young woman with long blonde hair and purple eyes, donning a mini tube top reveling a bit cleavage and wore purple jacket over it. "So you're Yugi Moto, the kid that everyone's been talking about."

Joey on the other hand found himself rather infatuated by the woman's beauty, though Yugi and Kisara didn't know what to make of this themselves as she approached the three. "Wow… check it out!" muttered Joey, having a blush creeping on his face.

"I'm rather amazed that a squirt like you managed to defeat Kaiba, you're famous you know…" she said to Yugi, making him rather embarrassed by this compliment, unsure of what to say to her and she ignored Joey's remark completely before continuing. "Listen, you're either a champ or a chump so cut this guy loose, he's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games."

With that said, she took her leave which made Yugi and Kisara rather curious on whether or not they'll end up having to face her at the tournament soon or later. "Please crush me…" began Joey, still finding her a bit attractive despite being blown off not too long ago.

"I'll crush you all eventually, my name is Mai Valentine." The three remained silent as she took her leave; they needed to get some rest below deck since they've been each assigned a room to stay for their trip while Tea, Tristan and Melody watched this from their hiding place with Tea rather annoyed with the blonde-haired duelist.

"How arrogant! There's nobody better at playing Duel Monsters than Yugi!" she growled, not liking Mai one bit and was hoping to see Yugi eliminate her from the tournament as quickly as possible.

"Shhh… quiet they'll here you…" hushed Tristan, not wanting Tea to make so much noise as they didn't want to be caught by the guards and thrown off in the process.

"I don't care.. He's still the best."

"From the looks of it, I'd say you actually have a thing for Yugi and you just don't want to admit if huh?" Melody giggled, causing Tea to blush furiously at her friend teasing her.

"Knock it off okay? Yugi's just a friend, can you give it a rest?" she told the violet-haired teenage, looking rather annoyed while Tristan sweat-dropped as he watched this and Melody simply laughed a bit, still finding it cute that Tea was defending Yugi at a time like this.

* * *

"Hey is this a joke or what?" Joey was having an argument with one of the guards concerning the living quarters for the trip. "This is a luxury cruise; I know you've got better rooms somewhere"

Needless to say, it made him and another guard that was with him rather mad with Joey's current complaint. "You again?" began the one who showed up to try and grab hold of the newest participant. "Do you want to get thrown out of here?"

It was then that two new arrivals came at the scene and they were none other than the two Duelists that participated in the regional Duel Monsters tournament; Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. "Hey aren't you that kid Yugi Moto?" asked Weevil, almost not wanting to believe his eyes as he glanced at Yugi.

"Wait a minute; you're Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood…" Yugi was more than surprised to see that two of the most well-known duelists in Japan were onboard the ship as well.

"I heard about you two, I must say I never thought we'd be meeting face to face" began Kisara, remembering watching them face off against one another and how Weevil was able to beat his opponent by equipping his Basic Insect with the equip spell card Insect Armor with Laser Cannon and taking out Rex's Two-Headed King Rex with a single attack.

"Heh… you're wasting your time with those guys, the private rooms are only goes to finalists from the last championship like us" explained Rex with a cocky grin on his face, telling the three new-comers full well that they'll have to get use to the ones they have.

Yugi approached the regional champion in question and said. "Congratulations on winning the regional Weevil."

"It was nothing…"

"Yeah, I went easy on him that time." added Rex, despite accepting the fact that he came close to winning the final match had it not been for that Infinite Dismissal Trap Card of Weevil's.

Joey was able to get out of the grip that both guards had him in. "Yeah, we'll this time the three of us are going to take the championships" he said to the two top duelists. "Isn't that right Yugi?"

"To tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement" began Weevil, rather curious about Yugi in general and had a feeling that they might face each other at the Duelist Kingdom fairly soon. "I guess I can't call myself the champion until I defeat the duelist who beat Kaiba… but I'm sure I'll end up battling you at the big tournament Yugi, I'm looking forward to that."

"I look forward to it too."

Weevil grinned as he had more to say to the young duelist. "Let me tell you a little secret… It's something that none of the other players know about the games yet" he said, wanting to be certain that this would be something between just them which made Yugi rather confused by this. "The other duelists will find out soon enough, but there are new rules that require more strategy."

"Ah rules are for wimps, in dueling you either smash your opponent or get smashed yourself!" added Rex, looking forward to some demolition very soon. "It's one or the other."

"Strength is good but you also need to combine your monsters with other types of cards in order to surprise your opponent" explained Joey, remembering what Yugi had said to him before at school after having learned that having a deck with only monster cards won't be enough.

"Who asked you?" muttered Rex, not wanting to hear what Joey had to say and decided to go to his room to prepare for when they arrive at the Duelist Kingdom. "Stay out of my way… I'll stomp you like everyone else."

"We'll see who stomps who when we get to the island…" Joey looked rather angry, wanting to be the one who beats Rex when they have their chance to face each other and Weevil simply shook his head.

"Don't mind him, let's scope up the competition" he said, pointing towards a few duelists nearby trading some cards they had with others. "Check out those chumps, they're already trading over there… players there are swapping cards and strengthening their decks, getting ready for the big tournament. It's also a good chance to get a feel on your opponent's cards."

_I bet this is how Weevil gets so much insight on his opponent's strategy…_ thought Yugi, rather curious at this and it was then that they've noticed that Joey wasn't with them anymore.

"Where did Joey go?" wondered Kisara before they saw he was going towards several different duelists, hoping to get some good cards for his deck through the trading process that was taking place.

Yugi wasn't sure what to make of it, so it would be best to let him be for now. "Guess Joey's trading…" he said while Kisara gave a small sigh, having to agree with him though she figured the cards she had with her would be more than enough to help her win

"If you've come all this way and you're still trying to improve your deck then you have to be very desperate" Weevil said with a grin and headed off to his room. "I'll catch you off the flip-side."

Kisara and Yugi remained when this happened, then after almost a minute if not a few seconds; the blue-haired young woman spoke. "I think I'll need some rest, it will be a long trip to the island and I may need to be well-rested if I want to be ready…" she told him, deciding to take her leave as well yet he would fail to notice that she had a small frown on her face when she left.

* * *

In the meanwhile, Tea was shivering a bit and hated the fact that she didn't bring a jacket with her. "Hey Tea, stay down or we'll get busted!" Tristan tried to get her to get back to their hiding spot.

"It's freezing out here and I can't sit still" she told him, though she wondered how Yugi, Kisara and Joey are having better luck due to being inside at this very moment.

"I don't like it either, right now we have no choice but to deal with it until we get to our destination…" began Melody, wishing she was someplace warm herself and cursed herself for not wearing a warmer outfit. Unfortunately, she couldn't say anymore as someone came out and forced the three to hide again but it wasn't one of the guards for some reason.

"Isn't that Bakura?" asked Tea, noticing that their friend from school Ryo Bakura was out on the deck looking out at the sky and Melody did have an infatuation when it came to cute boys like him. "I wonder what he's doing here?"

"Maybe he's taking part in the tournament…" even Tristan had no idea on what their friend was doing on the ship as he couldn't have gotten an invitation from Pegasus nor was he ever in any tournament.

* * *

Kisara was by herself looking at the stars shinning in the night sky as she had a lot of things on her mind lately and couldn't sleep, she looked rather sad lately ever since the cruise took place but she never showed it while around Yugi or Joey. "Mom… Dad…" she said, tears slowly beginning to fall from her eyes as she thought of her parents, who died long ago and she never got over it ever since.

"Kisara?" she heard Yugi's voice from behind her and turned around, seeing that the boy that she had befriended with back at school was on deck, causing her to be somewhat shocked to see him.

"Yugi… what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to make it look like that everything was alright when it really wasn't especially as he saw her alone when she should have been at her room by now.

"I was going to ask you the same thing…" he said as he got up to where she stood, starting to feel a bit worried right now "What's wrong?"

Kisara then put on a fake smile "It's nothing Yugi… Nothing" she replied back, not wanting to talk about her problem right now which made him rather suspicious by that remark and made him give a serious look as it wouldn't be nothing if she wanted to be by herself.

"You're lying, I can tell" he told her, he figured that since the two of them were alone right now, he could try and find out what is making her sad so he can do his best to try and cheer her up somehow. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay but…"

Kisara didn't let Yugi finish what he was going to say as she couldn't hold it any longer and the thought even made her curled her hands into fists. "Fine, I'll tell you alright?!" she snapped almost to the point of shouting, tears starting to flow down her face. "My parents are dead! They both died when I was younger and it been tearing away at me ever since then!"

Yugi was shocked to hear this, he didn't know that she had that bad of an experience long ago and remained silent as she looked away from him, not wanting to let him see her crying. "Kisara… I… I didn't know…" he tried to speak, but wanted to come up with what to say so not to make her feel worse about his question. "I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault…" she spoke, sobbing quite a bit as memories of discovering her parents' had been killed flashed before her and the horrified expression she had to finding out appeared in the back of her mind. "That's why I am sad and Pegasus somehow knew about this and gave me the opportunity to see them again but only if I win that tournament of his… so that's why I'm going to Duelist Kingdom, to get my parents back!"

This made Yugi shocked by this and remembered his brief shadow duel with Pegasus, however he had a feeling that she didn't know the full consequences to what she was getting herself into. "I understand how you feel… I am going to get my grandfathers soul back from Pegasus himself, we both needed to be careful though… he has the Millennium Eye and I have the Millennium Puzzle, they both one of seven Millennium Item as it turns out" he showed her the Millennium Puzzle which he always had around his neck at all times.

The blue-haired girl raised her tear-stricken face, and remembered Melody telling her that same story… which made her wonder what to think of it now as well as if it really was true. "Yugi… " she said, wishing that she could make it up for yelling at him earlier and wiped the tears off her face. "I'm sorry I got mad at you, you just don't know what it's like losing family for good… then again, you actually do after you told me of what happened to your grandfather…"

"It's okay, don't worry" said Yugi, trying to sound somewhat cheerful but the sound of his voice showed it was anything but. "I'm sorry I brought it up, I didn't think on how you would feel about that."

Kisara sobbed for a bit, then tried to smile at this and said. "No, I kinda deserved it…" she lowered her head again after saying that as he was the first person that she ever told of what became of her mother and father. "All my life, I tried to honor them and at the same time I've tried to do what I am good at… it's one of the reasons why I even gotten into Duel Monsters, all thanks to my mother. I want to make them proud when I take part in the tournament."

"I'm sure you will give it your best shot, besides your parents are already proud of you even in the afterlife" reassured Yugi, smiling a bit and was going to say more until they saw Joey had joined with them. "So how did the trading process go?"

"It went better than I'd originally though Yug, take a look at the cards I got" said Joey, showing his best friend the new cards that he had in his hand which was revealed to be a Salamandra Spell Card, a Kunai with Chain Trap Card, a Baby Dragon Monster Card, a Shield & Sword Spell Card, a Chasm of Spikes Trap Card, a Trap Hole Trap Card, a Monster Reborn Spell Card, Polymerization Spell Card, a Copycat Monster Card and a Graverobber Trap Card.

"Awesome, with these new cards, you'll have a really strong deck" he told Joey, rather impressed by the new cards his friend now had for his deck so it won't be one with nothing but Monster Cards anymore.

"Thanks, so now I'm ready to win every duel I play!" Joey figured that he can't lose now with his deck having been improved with better additions to it and saw that Kisara was with Yugi, making him rather confused. "Did something happen that I should know about?"

"Don't worry, I just needed some fresh air and Yugi wanted to make sure I was alright that's all" explained Kisara, letting Joey know that everything was fine right now even though he still wondered what had happened but decided to keep quite on that for now.

"Anyway I think you're gonna find that it's bit harder than that" said Yugi, wanting to get back on the topic that the two of them were currently on and opened the box that he once had the Millennium Puzzle in, taking out a card to give to Joey. "Here, add the Time Wizard to your deck… it can be helpful in a tight spot."

"Thanks… I'll take it, take it. I can't get over how you're always helping me out" Joey gratefully accepted the card and that was when Yugi almost forgot about something, he wanted to be sure it was just the three of them since Tea, Tristan and Melody will be joining with them later once they dock at the island.

"Oh yeah, I just remembered something important…" Yugi said, only for another voice to interrupt and the three turned to see it was Weevil himself who had arrived at the fray with a grin.

"Ah… we meet again…" he said to the infamous duelist who defeated Kaiba and approached the rail, wanting to enjoy a bit of fresh air of his own. "Ah… the evening wind sure feels nice…" It was then that he turned his attention towards Yugi, a bit of curiosity on his face came as he wanted to be certain that his future opponent would have them. "So did you trade for any good cards Yugi?"

"Nah, I'm gonna duel with the cards I've brought along with me" answered Yugi, with Weevil's glance being towards the box on the table as he speaks while both Kisara and Joey wondered what Weevil was doing on the deck in the first place.

"I figured as much, you used the Exodia cards in your duel against Kaiba right? Those are the strongest cards of them all…" Weevil had a grin on his face, knowing that Yugi wouldn't be foolish enough not to at least bring the five cards that make up the unstoppable Exodia the Forbidden One. "So could I possibly… see those legendary cards?"

"I don't see why not… Just be careful with them, they're really rare…" Yugi opened the box and handed to Weevil all five Exodia cards, which made the regional champion glance at them in a bit of awe as he held them in his hand.

"So these are the cards to summon Exodia, for a long time I've been trying to come up with some kind of strategy to finally defeat these cards but I couldn't come up with anything… Until just this moment…" he said, knowing how he can defeat Exodia without having to worry about it being used against him as he made his way towards the rail which in turn shocked the three duelists, wondering what he was doing. "Say goodbye to Exodia!"

Fortunately, Joey grabbed Weevil's hand then punched him in the face, causing the five cards to fall onto the ground below and Yugi picked them up, putting them back in the box with Kisara's help while Weevil laid motionless, having been knocked out cold. "I can't believe that guy… and to think we trusted him too…" muttered Joey, rather angry at the regional champion for trying to pull such a stunt like that.

"Well it's a good thing you stopped him, I don't want to even imagine what would have happened if you didn't…" added Kisara, shuddering a bit and wondered if that's how he beats his other opponents before they could use their best cards against him. "I think we should find a better spot to speak just in case he comes too…" she suggested, the two boys nodded and they left to Yugi's room.

* * *

Once there, they had remembered that Yugi wanted to show them something important on deck previously. "So tell us Yug, what did you remember that you wanted to let us know about?" Joey asked now that they were in the clear, which made the smaller teen close his eyes for a moment.

He opened the box and revealed the smaller box that came with the note from his mom, then unveiled what was inside which caused both Kisara's and Joey's eyes to widen in shock at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card was shown in all it's glory. "Yugi, how did you managed to get a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? I thought only four of them were ever made and we both saw Kaiba tear the one your grandfather had in half!" exclaimed Joey, so shocked that he didn't know what else to say.

"That's what I thought, though I spoke to my mom before I left and asked how it was possible…" began Yugi, thinking back towards the moment when he first received the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and what he found out from his mother proved to be shocking even to him. "She gave this Blue-Eyes White Dragon card to me and told me that it's the fifth one ever made.

"A fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon card?" Kisara asked him, having no idea that there was actually one more Blue-Eyes White Dragon card ever made… let alone in the possession of Yugi's own mother even without anyone knowing of this, then again it couldn't be helped since it was super rare for anyone to have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon yet she was aware that Seto Kaiba had three in his deck already. "Well it looks like you have even more of a chance to win the tournament and save your grandfather's soul now."

"She's right, still I have my own reasons for taking part in the tournament…" began Joey, which made the two rather curious on what he was talking about and he let out a small sigh as it was best to tell them right now since it's been eating inside of him ever since he got that video tape. "It's the only way I can help my baby sister Serenity."

"Serenity?" wondered Yugi, rather surprised that Joey had a younger sister that he and the others never knew about, it was something that dumbfounded Kisara since she too never heard about Serenity.

"Yes, our parents divorced when we were kids and unfortunately she lives far away with my mother but that's not the only problem, there's something much worse…" Joey hated the thought of having to remember when Serenity said she was running out of time and was hoping to see him once more before it happens. "My sister had bad eyes since she was born and they've been getting far worse as time, eventually she'll go blind."

"Oh no…" Kisara had a hand to her face with a look of dismay, though both she and Yugi were shocked to learn about Serenity's eyes. "Do any of the others know about this Joey?"

Remaining silently, Joey shook his head and lowered it afterwards then Yugi finally decided to speak up to him. "I'm sorry…" he said, the two seem to understand how he felt when it comes to family.

"Thanks Yug, still… she already sent me a message and from what I found out, the doctor's told me that the time has come and soon her eyes will be impossible to repair even with surgery" said Joey, as dim as things were right now he did at least hear some good news. "However, there are specialists who could perform an operation now before it's too late and save her eyesight… the downside is I don't have the money to be able to pay for the operation, that's why I am entering the tournament… I have to win the three million dollars for my sister's eye surgery!"

Now that the three understood how much is at risk, Yugi, Joey and Kisara went their separate ways in order to make some final preparations for their arrival at the Duelist Kingdom, Yugi added Blue-Eyes White Dragon and the five cards that make up Exodia the Forbidden One to his deck.

In the meantime, Joey added the Time Wizard and the cards that he had acquired in his trades ready to win every duel he plays in the tournament and Kisara added her Red-Eyes Black Dragon to her deck, silently praying that her parents were with her to guide her as she is looking forward to seeing them again soon.

* * *

While this was happening, Tea, Tristan and Melody were hiding in a lifeboat and the two girls huddled to share their body heat to stay warm. "Hey, Tristan… aren't you cold yourself?" Tea asked her male friend, who was just sitting on the sides, keeping his arms folded in an attempt to keep himself warm. He was obviously shivering, but the expression on his face was still indifferent and nonchalant, as if he couldn't be bothered with the temperature.

"Nah, don't worry about me." The tall boy answered, even though he privately regretted not having had the chance to get a better accommodation. He stifled a sneeze and went on. "I can handle myself. A little sea breeze won't hurt me."

Melody looked right in Tea's eyes, and the brunette smiled gently and motioned for her to reach Tristan. She quickly crawled over to Tristan and began rubbing his wide shoulders with her hands, causing his body to warm up a little. Tristan let out a relieved sigh as some warmth spread into his arms and chest, and Tea crawled over to Melody as well and kept close to her in her attempt to warm her up.

"C'mon, Tristan, don't try to play tough guy!" Melody said with a gentle giggle. "I know you're cool and all that, but getting a cold won't help you score points! It won't help you look, as you boys say, badass…"

"Yep! Plus, you know how it is, right? We're friends, and friends help each other out!" Tea went on. "So don't try to shoulder everything yourself. Don't be afraid to rely on us, okay?"

Tristan chuckled good-naturedly. "Okay mommy, I'll listen to you!" he joked, earning himself a playful smack on the shoulder from Tea. "Hehehee… anyway, I guess we should be there soon. Duelist Island should only be a few hours away, so we won't have to stand staying in this place much longer."

"Now, what I'm worried about is if we won't be able to evade the surveillance when we actually get on the island." Melody said. "I'm sure that Pegasus guy has placed quite a few patrols around, so that only people who have Star Chips are allowed in."

Tea and Tristan bother remained silent but they had a feeling that Melody has a good point, since they remembered that they saw Yugi giving up one of his star chips to Joey so he can be allowed on the ship and they would need to be careful themselves if they wanted to get to the Island.

Fortunately, they wouldn't have to worry about remaining hidden for much longer as Yugi, Joey and Kisara came out on deck looking for the others though the shorter boy would have a feeling that they wouldn't be hiding too far. "Yugi?" came Tea's voice, getting his attention and was rather relieved to see they were alright.

"Glad we managed to find you, the ship should be docking at the Island fairly soon…" he didn't finish what he was going to say as he saw that Tea was shivering quite a bit and had a feeling that she was cold. "You might need this… I don't mind at all."

"What? I can't take that, you'll be cold?" began Tea, seeing him taking his jacket off to give to her to wear much to her surprise yet Melody found it to be rather cute if she did say so herself.

"Don't worry, besides sunrise is approaching…" reassured Yugi, telling her that she shouldn't need to worry about him as he placed the jacket around her shoulders so she can have something warm to wear until daybreak yet a slight blush formed on her face when she placed it around herself. "Still, it looks like I'm not the only one who has a reason to enter the tournament."

"Wait what do you mean?" asked Tristan, rather confused by this whole ordeal as were Tea and Melody, yet Joey and Kisara decided it would be best to better explain what is truly going on for Joey… he wanted to compete in the tournament in order to win the prize money to pay for his little sister's eye surgery and Kisara's is so that she could have her parents back… needless to say, the three were pretty shocked by this, more so over the fact that Joey had a younger sister and the fact that he kept her photo to remember her was more touching while Kisara's parents were dead, which they couldn't help but feel sympathy for the blue-haired young girl. _Man that is one shocking revelation…_

It was then that the sun began to rise and the group knew that they were almost at their destination, once they arrive; there was now no turning back… "Alright, we're going to do our best… Me for my grandfather, Kisara for her late parents and you for your sister..." said Yugi as he and the others saw the Duelist Kingdom dead ahead though to him, he knows who he is going to face off against first when the tournament begins.

Joey nodded and turned to Kisara, a light smile formed on her face hoping that the three of them could actually make it to the finals together as she looked forward to seeing how she does against the two. "That's right, we'll do this together" added Tea, understanding the risks that they were all taking but will face it to the very end and Tristan and Melody agreed with her on that, wanting to do their contributions in helping the three.

"There it is, the Duelist Kingdom! We're almost there!" Yugi told the others, the ship was finally arriving at its destination.

A/Ns: Here it is, I'd like to thank Lily Nadesico for co-writing this new fic with me as it was something I had on the back of my mind for a while plus I also wish to give thanks to mr grimjaw for his help as well and for the suggestions that he gave to me. Hopefully it will be the start of a saga depending on where I have it go but I will say this, I have something evil in store for Weevil Underwood.


End file.
